Course description

This course is directed at ceramicists who wish to explore new and sustainable ways of creating glazes, using both recycled matter and locally collected raw materials.

You will learn how to identify useful components hidden in everyday waste such as glass, ashes, broken ceramics, and how to combine them with natural materials like clays, soils and rocks found in the surrounding environment. Together, these overlooked resources will become the basis for developing high-temperature glazes.

After an introduction to glaze chemistry, the workshop will move into full experimentation: collecting and preparing materials, running tests, and comparing results as a group. Rather than working with commercial recipes, you will be encouraged to experiment, observe, and record outcomes – transforming both waste and natural matter into glazes that are unique, personal, and more environmentally conscious.

The teacher will guide you through this process, helping you connect the technical with the creative while cultivating an experimental mindset.

By the end of the week you will have built not only a wide range of glaze tests, but also learned how to create a photographic archive documenting the results, which will be handed to each participant as a resource for future studio work.

Outcome

Although the course focuses on glaze research rather than finished ceramic objects.

Each participant will receive a digital photographic archive of the collective experiments, providing a solid base for continuing independent glaze testing after the course.

Teacher

Luigi Pullini is an Italian potter, researcher, and teacher whose practice centers on the use of self-sourced materials for clay bodies and glazes. Based in Italy, he develops workshops and intensive courses aimed at promoting an independent approach to ceramics, directly connected to the origin of materials and not to the suppliers.

After graduating in Ceramic Design at the State Art Institute of Grottaglie, Luigi began a personal research path focused on self-producing stoneware and glazes from local clays, rocks, and plant ashes. His work is deeply rooted in atmospheric firing traditions particularly wood and soda firing and has been influenced by the legacy of Japanese and English studio pottery.

Through his teaching, Luigi shares practical methods for collecting and transforming natural and anthropic materials into high-fire clay bodies and glazes, encouraging a more conscious and autonomous ceramic practice inspired by past traditions and adapted to contemporary needs.

Who is the course right for?

This course is right for you if:

• you already have some experience in ceramics (basic glazing and firing skills are enough)

• you are interested in learning how to replace commercial glaze materials with recycled or locally available alternatives

• you are curious about experimental approaches to glazes that combine sustainability and creativity

• you enjoy testing, documenting and discovering unexpected glaze results